Providence Athletic Director Steve Napolillo stood tall in the most challenging of weeks
By all accounts, this should have been a disastrous week for Providence Athletic Director Steve Napolillo. Less than a year into his tenure as the AD at his alma mater, Napolillo faced a scenario that was all but unthinkable a month ago: Ed Cooley was headed to Georgetown in a separation made all the more awkward by how publicly it played out.
Yet, in the face of adversity, Napolillo’s stock has sharply risen locally over the past week. He was gracious when addressing all Cooley did for his program, and biting in his criticism of how Georgetown went about their business.
Most significantly, however, Napolillo was steadfast in defense of the program that he has played a major role in building over the past two decades.
Cooley’s departure soon became an indictment of Providence’s program nationally. If the hometown coach left for an in-conference rival, something must be off. Name, image and likeness potential? A glass ceiling? Too much of a fishbowl?
Napolillo wasn’t hearing it — any of it.
“We are a family at Providence College. That's what makes us great, it’s not just one individual. There’s so many people that make Providence College special, and the next coach we add is going to make it even more special.”
That was Napolillo on Monday when meeting with the press just hours after Cooley announced his intentions.
“He made a decision. He is his own man, his family made a decision,” Napolillo said.
“We are really proud of what Providence College is. I’m proud to be the Athletic Director here. I’m excited about having the next coach come in who wants to be here, who is going to take us to new heights, (and) build off of what Coach built for 12 years.”
While so much of the focus has been on Napolillo’s ire toward Georgetown, a not-so-subtle, yet more powerful, theme started to emerge throughout Monday’s media session.
“We’re going to get a great coach,” Napolillo said as a matter of fact. “I’m really excited moving forward. We have all the infrastructure. We’re going to continue to invest. We want to do things at the highest level. We’re going to be really successful in name, image, and likeness. There’s nothing we don’t have to be successful here at the highest level at Providence College.”
He continued, “We want a coach who is passionate, wants to be here, and believes he can win big at Providence College.”
Three days later, Napolillo was introducing Kim English as the head coach of the Friars. He spoke of English as “a rising rocket” ready to take off. He believes English will take PC to new heights.
Of everything Napolillo said this week, perhaps most insightful and telling was his articulation of what all of Friartown experienced in the days leading up to the English hire.
“This city, this state, this community, the school, is hurt. And we need a shining star to come in and lift them back up, and brighten it up – and that’s today.”
He felt it because he lives it.
While Cooley packed for D.C. this week, here was Napolillo, a lifelong Rhode Islander who grew up dreaming of being Billy D, who graduated from Providence in 1998, and spent the past 19 years working at the college, standing firm about what he and his colleagues have built over the past two decades.
“This will define my career for the next three to five years,” Napolillo said of the hiring of a new coach.
We’ll see how the next five years play out, but in a defining week, Napolillo certainly stood tall.